The best 5 Productive things you can do while you are waiting for a job offer

December 12, 2018December 12, 2018 by William Clarkson

For whatever reason, we find ourselves, out of work most of us will update our LinkedIn work experience polish up our resumes and then wait. We get up in the morning have our coffee, check the emails, look at LinkedIn again and by that time it’s 9:15. We spend a few more hours checking the job boards and following up leads, but it still leaves us a lot of time to fill. So what do we do with the rest of the day? How can we keep ourselves sane and productive during this difficult time? This is what has worked for me:

Keep Working

Keep much of your routine as possible. Obviously, stop yourself before going into your former office!

If you had a certain time of day that you got up and got ready for work keep doing that. If you worked at home from a computer then keep going to that workspace at the same time every day.

We are at our best when we are feeling professional and productive, and that is the side of you that you want potential employers to see. Keep putting your best foot forward. But what do you actually work on you ask? See the next items on this list!

Blog

If you have a Blog and try to write something every day or at least a couple of times a week. If you don’t have a Blog and get one. Blogs can help show potential employers your human and professional sides at the same time. Write about your industry or professional work or how you think a problem should be solved.

Learn a new skill

When we are employed full-time our spare time for improving ourselves and professional skills is extremely limited. Now is the absolute perfect time for you to learn a new skill. You don’t need to go get a degree. You don’t have that sort of time, you’ll be employed again soon! There’s plenty of free or cheap resources out there on how to learn new skills. If you learn best by watching videos check out YouTube or Udemy to see if what you would like to learn is available. If you learn best by reading then check out ebooks on Amazon or blogs of people who do what you want to do.

For myself, I always find it a good time to study a new programming language.

One good idea is if you constantly see a skill on job postings that you lack and that you wish you had, then study that! You can then put on your resume “currently studying NodeJs” or “currently studying office management”. Whatever your interest, you can probably turn it into a new skill.

Create a side income

Creating a side income can not only give you a bit of a financial boost when you need it most, but it can also elevate your confidence. It’s fair to say that when we have to stop working to look for work our egos can take a bit of a bruising, this is just human nature. Having somebody pay us for something we do can help restore that. Here are just a few ideas

Write an e-book

Create an online course

Freelance

Start a YouTube Channel

For myself, I found that online courses bring in the best income, but you’ll want to do some research on your own. I’ve also found that e-books and YouTube videos can make great portfolio pieces as well!

Relax

It’s difficult to relax during this time. I get that. However, it is essential you take care of yourself. Try to eat and sleep at the same times that you did before this difficult time. It is fine to occasionally watch some tv or play a game without feeling guilty.

Remember that you define a job, the job does not define you. Taking care of yourself now will allow you to be the best for your future job, employer, and colleagues. You want to be at your best for that new opportunity. remember this time will pass as it always has before! You will bounce back and be better, stronger, and more productive than ever!